Srinagar: The beef ban row in Kashmir got murkier on Thursday as several BJP MLAs thrashed Independent member Sheikh Abdur Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, in the Assembly a day after he hosted a “beef party”.
This led to uproarious scenes and continuous shouting in the House and the Opposition walked out in protest. Chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed called the incident “highly unfortunate”, urging MLAs not to reduce the House to ‘a wrestling ring where blows are exchanged’. Deputy CM Nirmal Singh (BJP) reluctantly apologised as the CM asked him to stand up and express regret. “It’s unfortunate, I feel sorry,” he said.
Soon after the J&K Assembly assembled on Thursday for the day’s business, a couple of BJP members rose from their seats and attacked Mr Rashid. They struck against him with punches and jabs. In the scuffle that followed, Mr Rashid hit back, but was overpowered by BJP legislators.
The intervention of Opposition members broke off the scuffle but not before the House faced pandemonium. In their attempt to save Mr Rashid, Opposition members Ali Muhammad Sagar, Waqar Rasool and Hakim Muhammad Yasin gave BJP members a few strong blows. The scenes were reminiscent of the fighting seen inside the Ukrainian Parliament.
The Opposition termed the attack on Mr Rashid as ‘murderous assault’. Condemning it, former Chief Minister and Opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, sought to draw parallels between the attack on Mr Rashid and lynching of Muhammad Iqlakh. He also termed the attack as “gunda gardi” which he said was “condemnable and unacceptable”.
He also said that the manner in which BJP MLAs pounced on Mr Rashid shows that it was aimed at killing him. “If we had not rescued Rashid, you (people) would have killed him,” he said. Left miffed over the government’s response over thrashing of Mr Rashid, the Opposition, led by Mr Abdullah, staged a walkout in protest.
However, Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed was quick to condemn the act even though his deputy and senior BJP leader, Dr Nirmal Singh, somehow justified the act asking, “what about our sentiments”. The deputy chief minister, while voicing his rage over Mr Rashid’s “beef party”, said, “He has hurt the sentiments of crores of Hindu. What about that.”
Mr Abdullah said, “Our religion doesn’t permit liquor and pork but that doesn’t give me a license to stop members of this House who take liquor or pork.” He accused the BJP of killing the people in broad daylight. “It (attack on Mr Rashid) was done in same way as was done in Dadri,” he said.
Chief Minister, Mr. Sayeed, while condemning the incident, said that such acts are uncalled for. “This is a people’s House and everyone should be listened to,” he said, adding that the incident was condemnable. Meanwhile, mobile Internet services were suspended briefly in some parts of Jammu region as the authorities feared social media could be misused for spreading rumours following recovery of carcasses of three cows in Udhampur district.
